Decalepidanthus trollii (Melch.) Dickoré & Hilger 2015

Dickoré, W. Bernhard & Hilger, Hartmut H., 2015, Decalepidanthus (Boraginaceae) includes and antedates Pseudomertensia; a synopsis of the genus, Phytotaxa 226 (2), pp. 131-143 : 139-140

7. Decalepidanthus trollii (Melch.) Dickoré & Hilger , comb. nov.

Basionym:— Moltkia trollii Melchior (1940: 115) . ≡ Mertensia trollii (Melch.) Johnston (1956: 306) . ≡ Pseudomertensia trollii (Melch.) R.R.Stewart & Kazmi in Kazmi (1970: 369). Type:— INDIA. Jammu & Kashmir: Kashmir, Tragbol Pass, 3000 m, C.Troll 7028 (B probably destroyed). Neotype (des+ignated here):— INDIA. Jammu & Kashmir: Kajnag Range, 12000–13000 ft., 19 May 1892, J.F.Duthie 11073 (BM!, iso E).

= Mertensia edelbergii Rech.f. & Riedl in Riedl (1963b: 230). ≡ Pseudomertensia edelbergii (Rech.f. & Riedl) Riedl in Rechinger (1967: 60). ≡ Pseudomertensia trollii var. edelbergii (Rech.f. & Riedl) Kazmi (1970: 370) . Type:— AFGHANISTAN. Kunar: Nuristan, Pashki, 2300 m, May 1948, L.Edelberg 630 (holo W!, iso C).

= Pseudomertensia trollii var. harrissii Kazmi (1970: 370) . Type:— PAKISTAN. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Dir State [35°12’N 71°53’E], 14 May 1895, S.A.Harriss 16397 (holo GH, iso W!).

= Mertensia coventryana Clay (1937: 379) , nom. nud.

Icon.: — Clay (1937): pl. 27 ( Mertensia coventryana ). Riedl (1963b): fig. 176; 177 ( Mertensia edelbergii ). Nasir (1989b): fig. 32 D–F ( Pseudomertensia trollii ); fig. 32 G–H ( P. trollii var. harrissii ); fig. 32 I–J ( P. trollii var. edelbergii ). Ovczinnikov & Czukavina (1974): fig. 4 ( Pseudomertensia edelbergii ).

Distribution: —E Afghanistan (Kunar, Laghman), N Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Kurram, Dir, Swat, Hazara), NW India (Jammu & Kashmir): Safed Koh Range, outer far western Himalayas, east to Pir Panjal range / SE edge of Kashmir basin.—Map: fig. 2d.

Habitat: —Elevation (2050–)2300–3350(–3960) m, submontane–montane; apparently rare and local, among rocks and on dry hillsides (but in areas with relatively pronounced monsoon rains and, possibly, in temporary or smallscale mesic situations), ‘near water’, in mountain meadows and scrub ( Juniperus squamata Buch. -Ham. ex D.Don).

Notes: —We could not find material related to a record of Decalepidanthus trollii from Pakistan: Gilgit, as cited by Stewart 1972. Likewise, the presence of this species in the dry inner Himalayas / Karakorum Mountains seems improbable. There is one specimen allegedly collected in Baltistan near Skardu, inner Indus valley [Rondu, 40 miles W of Skardu, as annotated by R.R.Stewart on the herbarium sheet], 8 March 1848, T.Thomson s.n. (K!). However, the date on the label is ambiguous, and might as well read as 8 May 1848. According to his itinerary ( Thomson 1852), Thomson was near the Banihal Pass in Kashmir (proper) on 8 May 1848, which seems a much more likely locality and collecting date for this species.

Unresolved taxa

In order to facilitate further reference, two additional names, which undoubtedly belong to the genus Decalepidanthus are combined below. However, these entities seem to be insufficiently known, either only from the type, or by possibly heterogenous and inconclusive sources.